%% Image kept on page per Image Pickin' thread: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1298509191044397200&page=1#6%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.%%[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/{{Gantz}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b8dcfc98b2275910efec31a3be811a1b.png]]]][[caption-width-right:350:[[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner You don't understand. YOU ALL UNDERSTAND! I mean don't understand! WAAAAAHHHH!!!!]]]]

{{Angst}} can create [[EmotionalTorque compelling drama]], CharacterDevelopment, and interesting psychology when done well; [[TrueArtIsAngsty many acclaimed works of art use it to a degree]] and the appeal of TheWoobie is based on it.

[[TropesAreTools But like all other good things, angst can be overdone or clumsily handled.]] Wangst, a {{portmanteau}} of "whiny" and "angst," (or "wimpy" or "wah"... or possibly "wanky" in especially irritating cases) is essentially angst gone wrong. The intended [[TheWoobie Woobie]] attempts an {{epic fail}}ure at an AppealToPity, and thus becomes a [[EmoTeen pathetically whiny character]] who insists on crying (often loudly and repeatedly) about a DarkAndTroubledPast or event instead of, you know, trying to solve the problem. People will end up surrendering in their efforts on sympathy and just question the emokid on "Why haven't you killed yourself yet?" Especially if said "trauma" doesn't come across nearly as tragic as the character thinks it is, [[MiseryPoker compared with other people trying to endure out there yet are still determined to solve the problem]], making his lamentations seem [[{{Narm}} way out of proportion.]]

'''Note:''' Though Wangst is most frequently associated with characters whining over petty "tragedies," the trope is not merely sadness or angst; it is poorly written sadness or angst that comes off as unjustified due to poor writing, lack of an explanation, or exaggeration. It's not necessarily the scale of the tragedy that the character is reacting to that's the problem, but the way it's handled.

It all boils down to quality and [[AngstDissonance personal tolerance level]]; what is grating and unrealistic to one viewer can be genuinely heart-rending for another. There's an inherent DoubleStandard involving this trope -- people are much more likely to be crying "Wangst" to a male character than they are a female character. In heavily action-oriented works, it's expected for anyone who just pauses for a short time to feel a little angst to immediately get called out as wangsty: see also WhatMeasureIsANonBadass.

Wangst is a favorite of {{Emo Teen}}s, {{Sympathetic Sue}}s and characters CursedWithAwesome. Any kind of DespairSpeech (especially by [[StrawNihilist nihilists]]) is also often considered as this. Often pointed out by playing the WorldsSmallestViolin. See also {{Emo}}, {{Narm}}, AngstDissonance. To deal with the wangsty kind, people will usually say "GetAHoldOfYourselfMan!"

The "wangst" equivalent for entire stories is when DarknessInducedAudienceApathy is caused by too much TrueArtIsAngsty. SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers is the philosophical equivalent. Compare DeusAngstMachina, which is about having too many ''sources'' of angst for WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief rather than too much ''response'' to sources of angst. For both in-universe ''and'' meta-examples, see MuseAbuse, a frequent RealLife and in-universe cause of {{Wangst}}. Contrast AngstWhatAngst, and StoicWoobie. Compare FirstWorldProblems and MiseryPoker.

[[IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with]] [[YouNeedToGetLaid angst resulting from a lack of sexual relationship.]] Or angst over [[TeenyWeenie the size of your wang.]]

Subtrope of {{Bathos}}, and may be called that in literary circles.

Seeing this in fiction may cause one to think of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRQvToXYzmU this song]].